The present invention relates generally to the field of toy action figures, principally toy dolls and, more particularly, to dolls constructed for teaching young children specifically desired and selected words or phrases of a language other than the primary language spoken in the home.
Since their inception, toy dolls or action figures have been extremely popular with children in a broad range of ages. As this popularity has grown, prior art toy dolls and action figures have become more sophisticated, incorporating circuitry in the doll itself, or in attachments for the doll, which provides audible messages or sound effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,821 is directed to Bilingual Educational Dolls. The dolls disclosed therein have a pre-recorded song with bilingual educational lyrics. The child plays and pauses the songs for pre-determined times. Then the child records their own voice in repeating the lyrics of the pre-recorded songs in a foreign language.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,602 discloses a PC peripheral interactive doll. This is an interactive system for teaching, entertaining, and habituating a child utilizing an interactive entity such as a doll with a bidirectional communication link to a personal computer (PC). Scripted data stored at the computer directs doll activity and verbal articulation, and utilizes response from the child through the doll to the PC in directing output to the doll. Unfortunately, many in society cannot afford a PC and thus are denied the ability to further enhance their linguistic abilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,561 discloses a doll having a microphone and sound recording device along with a sound playback device and a speaker. The doll is provided with contacts or buttons to activate the sound recording device and the sound playback device. A child may speak to the doll and record messages, which may be played back at a later time. However, because the child records their own phrases for later playback this doll fails to relate a foreign word or phrase with its English equivalent.
The present invention is directed to dolls and accessories constructed for teaching young children specifically desired and selected words or phrases of a language other than the primary language spoken in the home.
In one aspect of the invention there is a doll comprising a soft body with a plurality of sensors or switches. Each individual switch, when activated, energizes a battery. The energized battery allows a pre-recorded word or phrase to be accessed and played. The word or phrase is repeated twice in a foreign language and twice in English. In a preferred embodiment, the word or phrase is related to the anatomical feature where the sensor is located. In another embodiment, the word or phrase is related to the (fabric) color overlaying the sensor. In yet another preferred embodiment, a plurality of words and/or phrases are contained on a ROM chip. In a more preferred embodiment, the plurality of sensors or switches mounted in or on the doll would always cause the same words or phrases to be spoken.
In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a house for use with a bilingual educational doll. The house has within it sensors that activate an audio playback means. Activation of a sensor allows a pre-recorded word or phrase related to the area of the house where the sensor is located to be accessed and played. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of words and/or phrases are contained on a ROM chip.
In another aspect of the Invention there is provided a bilingual doll having an internal prerecorded speech mechanism that allows the speech phrases to be randomly accessed by the user at any time during the playing of a previous word or phrase.
In yet another aspect there is provided a bilingual doll having an internal prerecorded speech mechanism that enables the doll and its prerecorded speech to advance with the child user to more advanced speech.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided alpha-numeric accessories. The individual letters of the alphabet and the numbers 1-20 are provided as soft bodied toys with sensors disposed therein. Activation of the sensors allows a pre-recorded word or phrase related to the letter or number to be accessed and played.
In a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided a pull string toy (900) having a pull string extending from the head through the body that is displaceable under tension between a first predetermined position and a second predetermined position. The toy (900) emits a pre-recorded word or phrase when the string is recoiled from a second position to the first position. The toy (900) body is defined by at least two accordion pleats forming a bellows region. The accordion pleats have a substantially symmetric shape and each pleat is substantially concentric around the pull string when the pull string is extended to the second position. Accordingly, the appearance of the pleats is not distorted at all positions of the pull sting.